Mobile Applications for the Propane Industry: Separating Friend from

Foe

By Bill Stomp, Digital Dispatcher

Technology is the great enabler – and the powerful enemy – of the propane industry.This paradox is the result of a divide between the many ways this industry can use mobile devices

to its collective advantage, and the multitude of instances where poorly conceived applications for these devices can undermine the success of a diverse array of companies in

this space.

To further clarify the point: Before software developers design and attempt to sell their respective applications to executives in this industry, they must immerse themselves in the

operations of an environment that has a significant impact among commercial enterprises, homeowners and fuel supply organizations.

Put another way, a developer with a focus on this industry must first answer this most basic question: How well do you know my (as in, a family-run or regional deliverer of propane) business?

That query should govern everything a developer does because, on the one hand, there are some genuinely innovative applications that continue to improve and streamline operations, eliminate redundancies and the reliance on the issuance of (easily misplaced) paper tickets,

while providing business owners with real-time intelligence about the location and delivery status of

drivers in the field, so to speak.

On the other, there are applications that, as a matter of theory, are sound . . . and do not sell (or appeal to) the propane industry in the slightest. The applications may even be models of technical genius, but, if the designers responsible for these tools have little or no knowledge

of this subject,business owners will reject these things outright.

I can say – without an ounce of hesitation – that mastering the mechanics of this industry is essential to creating useful applications for this industry.

The good news is that there are several mobile applications for departments and officers

related to this subject.

A Google search for “Mobile Applications for the Propane Industry” reveals approximately 475,000 results. Meaning: Far from being a niche category, or contrary to the idea that the

propane industry is too small to capture the attention of developers and designers, it is awash with new ways to maximize the relevance of Android smartphones and tablets.

The Long-Term Value of a Dynamic Workforce: The

Future of the Propane Industry

The overriding theme to this discussion is not one of whether but when; it is an issue of which mobile applications have the most value to such a dynamic workforce.

My suggestion to developers, at home and abroad, is, again, a summons to action: Leave your offices, and schedule appointments with owners and executives within the propane industry; ask these individuals what they need or want, so technology can help them.

As a rule, developers should have their own variation on the phrase attributed to the

Hippocratic oath – the coder’s code that says, “First, do no harm” – so the propane industry will not have applications that hinder the progress of this all-important endeavor.

We should celebrate this technological renaissance, but we should examine each application

with care.That standard will transform the propane industry for the better.

Bill Stomp is vice president of business development for Digital Dispatcher. He can be reached at billstomp@digitaldispatcher.com